President Hassan Rouhani said in spite of strong opposition from a tiny minority, most Iranians are in favor of improved relations with other countries.
"Despite opposition from a small minority, being expressed over others' loudspeakers, the majority of the people support the path of peace, reconciliation and constructive interaction with the world," Rouhani was quoted by IRNA as saying in a public address in Malard County in southwest Tehran on Tuesday.
"Our people are well aware that problems cannot be solved by using radical rhetoric," he said, adding, "The era of violence and extremism is over and we need to apply logic, reasoning and prudence to be able to follow the path to development successfully."
It is essential to promote "unity, rapport and unanimity" inside the country to be able to help foil hostile plots to create instability in the region through waging war and bloodshed in the neighboring countries, Rouhani noted, stressing that thanks to the support of the nation and the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, "we will move ahead just as we have done in the past few months."
Referring to the ongoing negotiations with the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) over Iran's nuclear program, he said, "Our strong negotiating team is taking more steps forward every day to uphold the rights of the nation."
"Our goal in the negotiations is safeguarding the honor and grandeur of our great nation," he said, adding that such a goal can never be achieved without popular backing.
